SIT probing Nalia rape case files charge-sheet in court

Bhuj: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to investigate the sensational Nalia rape case today filed around 500 page charge-sheet in a local court in Nalia town of Kutch district of Gujarat.

LCB PI J M Aal who led the SIT said that the charge-sheet has mention of eight accused who have already been arrested. As there was ambiguity about the name of the ninth accused Vipul Thakkar, he has been mentioned as unidentified.

The Charge-sheet has 507 pages with 474 being statements and supporting documents while the main part of the charge-sheet consisted of only 33 pages.
Notably, a 25 year old woman had lodged a case of gang-rape in Naliya police station on January 25 this year alleging that 10 people including some local BJP leaders (who were ousted by the party soon after the FIR was lodged) had raped her. The woman who is a native of Kutch but lived in Mumbai also alleged that the accused had made her obscene videos and were blackmailing her. The incident of rape had allegedly taken place during a period of one year since August 2015 . She had also tried to commit suicide in a hotel in Nalasopara area in Mumbai. She had alleged that she was working at the main accused Shantilal Solanki’s LPG agency and was taken to his home on the promise advance salary payment and was later raped at various place by Solanki and others.

The SIT in its report has named nine accused.

On February 6, taking a tough stance, ruling BJP had suspended four of its leaders from the primary membership of the party for their alleged involvement in sensational rape case. Kutch district president of the BJP, Keshubhai Patel suspended Shantilal D Solanki (Convenor of the OBC cell of the party in Abdasa taluka), two councilors of Gandhidham Municipality Ajit Ramvani and Vasant Bhanusali and party general secretary of Gandhidham town wing Govind A Parumalani from the primary membership of the party owing to the surfacing of their names in the police investigation of the rape case. These four were arrested soon after.

The other four nabbed accused are Bharat Darji, Vinod Thakkar, Chetan Vinod Thakkar and Ashwin Thakkar.

All the Eight accused were nabbed within one month of filing of the FIR in this regard.

Amid attempts of main opposition Congress to politicize the matter, the BJP government in the state on March 16 has also constituted an inquiry commission for the detailed probe of the case under retired high court judge justice A L Dave.

DeshGujarat